When the Sun Rises
by creation17024
Summary: Hey - Chakotay's - object of affection...but with a new charater - Lorah, who I'd say is similar 2 old 80's Sarah Conner, little taller -long red/brown curl hair. Ji Rhan - like Chad Kroger, others, man, wish I could load pics!


_**Chapter 1**_

The conference room was crowded and each chair was full of disappointment. The crew looked forlorn and unsettled... even grieving. Ensign Kim looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.

Commander _**Chakotay**_looked down at the table, at his hands and fingers spread. He had felt this way before. His heart felt like it did when he was first became stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

It ached.

When the Caretaker had died, it had meant the end of things as he had known it.

He and his small crew had been at the mercy of a strange Starfleet crew, mostly suspicious, a few hostile. Back then, he had found it hard to keep from rapping Tom Paris over the head and had wanted to blow Tuvok out an airlock, but now…

Now they had proven to be reliable shipmates, a few felt like close friends, and some - like family.

"At best," Her voice broke the silence, "It doesn't look good." Her strained voice managed to continue but she was beginning to go horse.

"I don't want to give you the impression that I'm giving up…" she paused to look around the table for eyes to look up at her, "but it's looking highly doubtful we'll be going home."

Her eyes met Chakotays. The Commander covered his mouth and leaned to look around. No responses. She was right; it wasn't any fun breaking this news to them.

A bit of anger surfaced into Chakotay's face. They had all known that it was a possibility that some class M planet might become home. But looking around at the crew, facing that as a reality was harsher than he expected. He clenched his fist, dropped them off the table and sighed.

'How are we going to get past this?' He thought.

"I wouldn't give up all hope," Nelix weakly mustered. One or two glanced in his direction.

"I don't really know this part of space but, what is here is very promising." He ended, being careful to make his voice rise with a sound of hope.

He picked up speed. He wanted to remain neutral; not get any ones hopes up, but he couldn't stop. He absolutely had to help them feel better. The air was suffocating and too hot. It was too oppressive.

"Why, at the last way station, I saw… well, innumerable species, and all of them have one thing in common."

It hung in the air.

The answer everyone knew to the distasteful question, "Where do we go from here." No one wanted to ask the question. No one wanted to travel down that road yet. Didn't he know he was pushing it? It was too soon to move on. It was like getting married too soon after your wife had died. It was too final.

Chakotay and Nelix both glanced at Kathryn,

"They all have a hospitable planet in which they live. They all have new things for us all to learn. There is all kinds.…" His voice trailed off.

Kathryn's eyes were red, and with that as proof, everyone knew they were pretty well at the end of possibilities and out of miracles. Another Wormhole? Another Caretaker? Another strange and wonderful discovery… wow, how often can you get your hopes up and survive another crash?

And besides… as far as trying to find their place again in the universe, where it was…

Everyone they had come across at way stations, the occasional ship going by, had given them blank looks when Seven had approached them with the scamatics of what Voyager had charted in the Delta Quadrant. The data seemed to new to the species they came across.

To add insult to injury, the news of the information they had acquired while traveling back home was becoming rumor and of great interest of honest people and thieves alike.

Like the Zabrak, the latest thugs who now resided in the makeshift brig.

While the crew had been working for months on finding some way around, or through what they had started out calling 'the curtain' (which eventually came to be know as 'the wall') this species came aboard offering friendship and ended up trying to take over. It was all over with pretty quick. They were no match for the Starfleet group already highly acquainted with wolves in sheep's clothing.

But the thought of new frontiers did stir something in Chakotay and in Captain Janeway. The new exploration of these groups of star systems promised to be full of promise. The people groups or species in this sector was more than full of possibilities and interest. Tom must have been on the same train of thought. He cleared his voices, making B'Elanna Torres jump a little. She threw him an annoyed look, which Tom saw a break through, actually.

"What we need is some friends, some one to show us around."

"A big brother," Neelix jumped in, eager to make amends.

"I know it was a God send when you and Kes came aboard," Katherine softly said. She would put aside her hurt to mend dear Neelixs'.

Chakotay saw it. Get busy in solving a new problem. Put your mind to work, find solutions and let the sense of accomplishment heal.

Ensign Kim still was stone faced. He hadn't moved. He was going to be a lot of work in of itself. He looked withdrawn and pale, almost sickly. That hadn't been lost on Tom and B'Elanna. They both looked at each other, sending messages with facial expressions and nods of the head.

"What's most important now," B'Elanna said, "Is to strengthen what we have here, on board this ship. We have family here. We need to focus on that." She stood up, breaking through the stillness of the room. "We have a lot here and we need to continue to build from this ship as a base."

She glanced at Tom to see if she was being understood. He smiled and gave a small nodded. She looked at Chakotay and Janeway and saw approval and she knew she was right.

"I am beginning to think that this system could be heavily populated. I think that there may be…" No, that wasn't how she felt, "That there are species of people here that are a lot like us."

"Neelix was right." Tom was sitting up straighter, so proud of B'Elanna. "With all of the different kinds of people," Tom gestured and pronounced 'people' for lack of a better word, "There have got to be hundreds… thousands of different worlds ahead."

"…And we need a guide," Janeway added, looking at Chakotay. He grinned a little, knowing she was referencing his tribal roots. In her eyes, she saw a spark. The Diplomat in him was beginning to stir. The Adventurer in Tom was recognizing his hunger to explorer, and His own soul to discover.

B'Elanna was already planning, like a good engineer: how to fix, how to build, how to pull a problem into the full scrutiny of her intellect.

Ensign Kim sighed. He had yet to buy into it. But, maybe it was best to let him work through it on his own. They all would take the time.

"Okay." Janeway drew back into her chair, "Let's come up with an updated list of what we are going to need to get from the surrounding…" She gestured with her hands, drawing circles in the air, "area and get some maps. Seven is working on what knowledge sounds plausible from our good friends in the cargo bay."

And the meeting went on, with tired minds looking for the relief of hope and rest. Leaders faced the challenge of finding ways to motivate themselves and their subordinates. A Captain carefully – so very carefully, finding someway to make alliances with some trustworthy species for the purpose of survival and friends for the purpose of prosperity. She could see direction now and that allowed her to breathe again.

_**Chapter 2**_

"Just breathe," Don said at a near shout into the mulains face. It shook it's head with typical stubbornness and Don rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he would have to wait because he never worked with a mulain before.

It's eyes were yellow, and oval. It's skin was a light blue with stripes purple but this particular mulain was growing darker as Don sat with a frozen glare on his face.

Wow! Lorah hadn't been kidding when she warned him to stay away from market's more questionable traders. They could sell stars to the Blackness.

Don shook his head and smiled.

He glanced off into the distance, watching the flidist begin to gain distance. The mulains favorite meal was hastedly retreating, looking for a clump of grass or bushy shrub to take refuge in. The mulain yanked at the chain which attached to a neck iron around it's thick neck. It's eyes became sad. They were begging for freedom. Don sighed and knew all was lost. He was a soft one… it came from having to be in charge of his younger siblings.

Dons' eyebrows drew together as he leaned forward to take a closer look at the neck iron. He fished for the key in his breast pocket and hastedly fumbled with the lock.

"Okay, okay… I know when I've been beaten."

Now he couldn't surpress his grin, and pretty soon he was laughing as the mulain bounded away from his reach, leaping 2 or 3 feet at a time. It looked back at him only once, almost as if it was genuinely appreciative of his kindness, apologetic of his loss of friendship. He turned and found his target again and with three leaps into the distance and over the rise, he was gone.

Don took in the silence, listening for any sign of victory for the mulain. He felt the wind sapping at his skin and knew he should be getting back home. There was nothing yet to see… oh wait.

"Score…" Don whispered as various small insects fled their own hiding place and he could see a purple head shake its head, snapping the flidist neck and still. If he or she was like any other mulain he ever knew, there would be a time of washing the meal, then the body, followed by a slow process of swallowing the flidist whole.

"Yuck" he said as he turned towards the east, "maybe it was a good idea to let you go after all."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ****** ***** ***** ******

Don trudged down the side of the mountain. As he picked up speed, he jumped rock to rock occasionally

darting around brush and drawf trees.

Well, they were drawf to off worlders, but here the natives considered them normal. Most off worlders considered the landscape rugged and dangerous but Don saw the landscape as exciting and challenging, engaging. It was difficult to define, complicated.

At the outcrop, the side of the mountain dropped off. On the ledge up ahead, if you dared venture out onto it, you could see the village.

The domed buildings and the surrounding life-giving fertile soil, he knew, where there, along with the lake with its water dragons and amphibians and numerous gilled and land walking fish.

Although it was greatly deceiving standing way up here, Don could just make out forms. He could make out clear definitions through the haze even movement in a small opening near his homestead.

Don knodded to himself. That movement ment that his brothers were done in the field, mostly likely. It was one thing that you could count on them to do. They seemed to grasp the responcibility with pride.

Don avoided creeping out onto the ledge today. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but being so out in the air made his head swim and if his head was going to swim, he would likely fall. And the drop off would kill.

Instead, he sidestepped until he reached a wider path down the side of the mountain. He was able to start grabbing larger brush and even

Down towards his brothers, Nathlin and Roman a.k.a. the twins, and So-lay.

So-lay's wheels where stuck again, among the rocks and thick grass, just outside the house. She was begging Nathlin to help her. So-lay, born unable, struggled to survive since then in this environment. At first, she was just delayed in her ablility to get around, to walk, to run, but things seemed to reverse for her. At almost 7, she used the chair her uncle had made for her, giving it wheels, but, obviously, the terrain was her enemy.

Don growled under his breath. Roman was busy holding Nathlin to the wall in an effort to wrestle a ball or something away from him and ignored her. Don's heart warmed as he considered So-lay and he stopped to shout at his thoughtless siblings.

But he wasn't heard by them. So-lay stopped and looked up in Don's direction, but not to cry to him for help. She yelled something at him and pointed behind him. There was a shroud of fear on her face. Nathlin let go of whatever it was after he caught sight of the coming cloud. His brother Roman grabbed his prize and raced off around the house, oblivious of the coming danger.

All at the same time, Don's eye caught a streak of fur, he felt the intense heat on his back, and a great deal more profoundly, sensed the hostility coming from behind in waves. It was The Ability, as always, giving him instant visions of impending danger and flashes of people or animals…

A piercing sound stabbed into his ears and he grabbed at his head in pain. He cradled his head and felt himself falling. He closed his eyes, knowing everything was out of his control.

As if in slow motion, it was first his left shoulder, again his shoulder, picking up speed, he tucked into a ball. Smash, his ankle hit something hard and he felt heat and pain. Still rolling, faster, his head smacked the ground first lightly, then again – harder, shoulder, then he felt himself go airborne, and when he came back down, his back meet with something sharp. It scraped against him, down the right side, and that sent a burning sensation into his stomach. And then, finally, he skidded to a stop on his back.

He didn't move - not for a long, long time, he somehow figured out.

Groggy, and there was pressure on his chest.

But the pain wasn't there for some reason…

He didn't open his eyes.

A strange question crossed his mind.

How will I get the boys to be nice to So-Lay?

It had been his last thought…

Where had he been going?

Unable to hear… no, he could hear, but everything was muffled and seemed far away.

He didn't open his eyes to see what or who it was making the noise. If he kept his eyes closed, he felt, nothing will change. Nothing bad will have happened.

He stayed still and just adjusted to his new position on his back. His first thoughts were to try to connect with his body again, one limb at a time…

Right arm, he moved it, no pain.

Left arm next, he winced a little. It must be skinned.

'Lift your left arm higher…' and when he did a shock of electric pain shot through him like fire. He screamed in his head, but heard a moan.

'Breath, just breath'

All the while, in the back of his mind, a growing alarm was going off. Something wasn't right…

'Breath. Breath. Breath' as air reentered his lungs and with it, knowledge of everything that was in turmoil's, Don went from grimace to muffled scream.

Then blackness.

_**Chapter 3**_

She sat up in her bed and reached for her throat. She was wet with sweat and knew the dream was actually an alarm… the kind she seemed to get from time to time when someone she knew was in trouble.

There was a dull feeling of dread hanging in the air just out of her reach. She willed her heart to slow down. Then she searched for recall.

_There had been swirling gray mist, and shouting and screams. Two or three ships were descending on some City? Or maybe a village? The landscape hadn't been overly run with vegetation as was this world, and the coloring of the sky was, was - ? It seemed fimilar. _

'It's a big universe – 'she mumbled to herself.

Lorah swung her legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed her arms. In a groggy state, she noticed that the window she had opened earlier that afternoon was now letting in the weather. Some time during the night the rain had started falling. What time was it? Around midnight…

The salty smell of the sea made her feel better. She shivered though when the cool air blew mist onto her chest and face, hastening her to decision.

'Computer, close window'. A soft hum slowly unfolded the glass plains in obedience.

She felt cold and damp when she reached toward the chair in the dark. Over the back she should find her robe and when she did, she stood and pulled it over her shoulders and tightly around her, holding it to her at her waist.

She shuffled to the middle of her bedroom and stopped. Closing her eyes for controlling focus, not to block the surrounding, she drew from her mind wanting to grasp the images and feelings before they faded.

_Gray swirling again. Was it fog? Where could this be taking place – this… invasion?_

'Maybe concentrate on the people, read on that…' she thought out loud.

There were many, many people she cared for –

but she went to the top of her list, the very top, to the most important person she felt connected to, to see what she read from her thoughts of him. But considering his line of work, she would need more than her inner perceptions.

"Ji Raun" She spoke into the dark.

The computer softly replied in a feminine voice, "Reaching Ji Raun".

Lorah looked at the display, gradually growing to clarity. It's read out told her that Ji was with his 'cargo' within the ship he affectionately called his 'the shut' – short for shuttle with crew compliment of 6.

Where he got 'shuttle' from she couldn't figure out.

The ship he piloted was hardly small. Its size served its purposes; to hold the lives of many searching for there homes or for freedom or for safety. It was also fast enough out run most any hostiles she knew of.

The uplink took a bit of time on account of the distance between them.

How she missed him.

She grinned when she thought of how he laughed when he was around her. She flushed when she remembered a particular time.

He was wrapping up yet another vizcall to another dignitaries second/third-in-command.

Out of his range of vision, she began to throw items of her clothing at him. She had snuck a peak around the corner each time she "aimed and fired". One time she would see him pressing his lips together, or smirking, the next time, his nose flaired and he was flush - knodding at the visual eye, struggling to keep eye contact with whats-his-face on the screen. Eyes glossy and dancing. His face twitched and he sniffed, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She wadded up her undershirt and gave it a throw, which went wild to his right.

He ignored it. He acted as if he agreed with whats-his-face on the screen in front of him by giving a small, pressed smile. It was ment for her - to challenge her – mocking her, egging her on. He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms in front of him.

'Oh, that just won't do.'

She shimmied out of her shorts, and rounding the corner as if in an assault, she wadded them up and pitched them more carefully, taking her time to aim. She was rewarded with his inability to focus and dispite his efforts he flashed his intense eyes at her and he took on a primitive grin. He took her in, saw more flesh than clothing. He grunted and dragged his intense gaze back to the dignitary.

The ground gained in his loss of concentration made her laugh out loud in triumph.

He began to blink away her attempts to gain advantage of him and he furrowed his brow. She noticed his leg, tucked back under his chair, began to bounce.

'Nope, I'm not done…' Lorah grinned at him. Watching him, she knew he was fighting to overcome his rebellious distraction.

She snorted and then giggled at her next thought.

'This 'ill smack him'. Her eyes slanted and she breathed faster.

She ducked behind the wall again, reveling in her idea. The more elastic piece of her outfit was shed.

She bent her arms back behind her and unhooked her holder. She slipped it over her shoulders, listening to Ji explain some sort of drop off procedure, some sort of graditude from himself and his crew… blah, blah, blah

She began shivered at the cold that wrapped itself around her now, she heard the diplomat's voice respond. She hugged the wall and inched around to the other side. She aimed carefully, pulled back on the bra and released. It arched in the air before starting down. She gasped in horror seeing that her aim sent it straight for his head.

Ji peripheral vision caused him to reacted, recognizing the object. He jerking his head up and his eyes grew large and he froze seeing her standing further in the room, topless, and he froze up, mouth hanging open. It had been a long trip and the curves and rounded smooth skin paralyzed him. He didn't want to look away. What his vision reaped in hit him solidly.

Consequently, her bra had landed on the side of his head, almost on his shoulder.

She felt her face burn with embarrassment now. The triumph was lost in the raised pitch of the royal dignitary.

This time her eyes grew wild and she ducked back behind the wall. She gasped in air and let out high sound of panic, adrenaline flooded her blood stream. The giggling continued dispite the misfire.

She didn't think the dignitary saw too much. Maybe he didn't even know what a bra was for. She thought Ji had ripped it out of the air, out of view. No, she hoped Ji had ripped it out of the air, but with the more rapid string of conversation with followed, she doubted it.

Her eyes dodged around the room, looking for her robe..

The male voices in the next room did conclude to her surprise and she stood straining for what might be taking place. In her mind's eye, she could see him sitting in his chair, maybe looking in her direction, maybe covering his eyes with his large hands, shaking his head.

He wasn't mad, was he?

She heard nothing from the next room. Nothing.

She looked towards the wall in front of her. It sometimes gave a shadow of who was walking in the room Ji was now in but it betrayed her now. He was too smart to fall for that anyhow. He was street wise.

She did spy her robe though.

'I can be just as slick' she thought. She crept slowly towards it, looking back over her shoulder. She walked on the sides of her bare feet, breathing shallow.

When she eased forward, reached out her hand for her robe, She felt his hand grasp her around her waist. She let out a yelp and jumped back, twisting out of his light hold. She backed up from him, looking into his face for information. It was intense with a look of desire, emotions, excitement. He was shaking his head and smiling. His head dipped down. His entire body threw signals of Want in her direction but despite this, he restrained himself and leaned up against the wall she had just been hiding behind.

He chuckled, not at her, but because of the fun they were having. Lorah smiled openly. Her eyes were drawn to his long curly hair then down to his mouth, parted and without words. It was wonderful and she remembered it had devoured her only last evening.

He hummed, and pushed off the wall, slowly advancing after her, as if to start chase, and she took off like a shot down the hallway. They both laughed like children at play, his heavy foot fall on the wood floor close behind her, causing her to squeal. Ji chased like an athelete, dodging and lunging. He caught her like a hungry predator and then he caressed her as if she would break. She bent back backwards and his parted mouth, warm, covered pulse point, over her skin, over her shoulder. Each suck warm and wet and sending shivers, making her cold.

He looked up at her, it almost made Lorah's heart stop and she shivered again. He held his hand out towards the sofa and in obedience, the throw blanket rushed to his hand. He unfolded it and wrapped it around her shoulders, and encased himself within as well.

There, they stayed, caressing each other, mouthing love verbally and otherwise. Lorah became warm next to his chest. They pressed together and she felt more of his flesh held against her own. She ran her hands up his sides and back, scratching with her nails lightly. Over his sides and he wrapped his hands around her upper shoulders, kneeding her mouth with his own.

Then he layed her down and parted her. He took her, and she gladly let him.

_**Chapter 4**_

Lorah noticed movement out of her peripheral vision and found herself staring into his eyes and he was grinning. She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear.

"I knew it was you." His low voice moved her.

He was alone in the cockpit of the shut, with his back to the narrow forward window shield.

They were in deep space and the pit was dark. The light of the screen folded down from the ceiling containing her image shed light on his face tired face, giving him a blue glow. Looking up at her, he seemed to open up, his eyes lite up and he took a deep breath. Lore well read his first, unguarded response to first seeing her. Her neck and face grew hot and she was sure that it the red flush was giving her away.

Lorah smiled boardly at him and he smiled back, but not matching her.

Lorah felt better just looking into his blue eyes. She noticed off hand that his beard was back, His hair was longer, and there were creases in between his eyebrows that she hadn't seen before. She felt herself in a full blush.

She cocked her head to imitate him and grinned in her crooked way. His eyes were reading her, feeling her through the screen somehow.

Could he really read her thoughts just by looking into her eyes? She dropped her eyes to get her composure and cleared her throat and heard a deep chuckle from him.

"There is no way you could have…" she began to protest,

"…known it was you…yeah, actually I did." He paused for reflection, "I _felt_ it." He emphasized. "You're always here when I need you the most."

The last string of words seemed reserved and urgent at the same time.

Pause. When she looked back up to see what had caused the silence she saw that he was reflecting again. His eyes grew softer, a little sadder. "We've got to meet up somewhere, Lore."

Now he wasn't smiling at all and that hurt her. The urgency she felt in his words made her hold her breath. If he had been here with her, she would have taken ahold of his hand or placed her hand on his leg. He looked as if he would have needed to wrap his arms around her, looking for strength.

Her eyes darted back to the desk in front of her. She sighed, gathering her composure, looking to make him feel better somehow.

"Ah, but it won't be too much longer until your back, Ji, with your smelly onterauge and their unsatiable appetites.."

She forced a chuckle, ignoring the lump in her throat, feeling the warmth of alarm creaping up her extremities."…clogging up my drains," she forced, "with their long hair, leaving their mud all over my house…" she continued but paused, and words stopped, hunging suspended and unspoken.

She raised her eyes slowly, now also sad, and in her minds eye she saw him strolling through her kitchen again, barefooted, no shirt, with blonde wavy hair.

Now his eyes brimmed along with hers. This was getting hard.

'I've been away for far too long, Lorah. I'm not leaving you anymore. I can't make you wait.' She heard it from his pressed lips and demeanure, but what he said was,

"I miss you so much."

By the look in his eyes, it must have been a rougher ride than usual.

When things were bad on his assignments, and there were many opportunities for it to be so, he always became more reflective. He didn't hear her attempts to lighten the conversation, becoming too engrossed in something else. Whatever it was, it hung in the air, heavy, waiting to be dropped, and shatter reality.

The heaviness moved to settle on her and she felt pressure. She almost glanced around, looking for the black omen.

"It's been a hard assignment, Lore. We lost over half our pickup…

Lorah sat up straight. Half…no Over Half.

"What –" She answered in disbelief.

What had gone so wrong. How hard this was on Ji.

"and Mike." Ji added so low, that Lore didn't realize that he had spoken at first.

Lorah slid back in her chair.

Had he said 'Mike'. Tall, wicked fast 'Mike'. That couldn't be because he was so fast on his feet, and his aim was deadly. He had military training, and was seasoned. No, it couldn't have been Mike that Ji said was dead.

Probably Wolf. He was hot headed and had to be rescued a few times. Or maybe he had ment, no there couldn't be anyone else.

Besides that, Nick would have known if there was something wrong, with whatever it was that was wrong.

She just sat there becoming disconnected as the silence let the news sink in.

She saw regret in Ji's face, and saw grief. They joke together all the time, playing pranks, fighting like brothers. She felt lightheaded but when she saw Ji fading into himself, she straightened her back and willed her self to grab on to him and whispered, "What happened?" She tried to push away the threat of tears, but a few escaped her eyes. The grip on her throat stole her breath.

Ji paused and now he looked down.

"I'm coming home sooner than next month, Lorah. I'll tell you then and I, … somebodys gotta tell Jen."

Lora rolled her eyes and wrapped her hand over her mouth. It just dawned on her.

Jen, Mike's wife, was away visiting Don's family until a week before they were all due to come back.

…and Then, as if she recognized the face of a long lost friend, it hit her. The dream had been about Don. Now, maybe it included Jen as well.

Yes, was the feeling that washed over making her warm with affirming knowledge.

Her expression must have been alarming and out of place because she heard Ji call her name twice.

"Ji, I've got to tell you something." She licked her lips in preparation, "Jen decided to pass the time waiting for Mike on Travis 2." Mike's name still felt as alive as she felt he was – should be…

"She's visiting Don and the kids. Her mother is ill and she's helping with the incoming crops." It came out choppy because she felt the alternate half reality coming through again.

Lorah could see the ships again, a stronger more detailed version of them. The marks down the side of the gray bulkhead were black, as if from battle, and covered the former ensignias. It gave the ship a degrading and sinister look. The men and creatures aboard the ship could be spied through dirty view ports and she could make out the same marking down there face as well, at least on the three or four she could see.

She could see the movements over the land, crawling across the expansive farm lands, turning everything it past over brown,

And there advancement towards… where… she grasped…

Lorah searched for more in the darkness around her room. She fought to hold onto what she was seeing, feeling it fading.

She heard herself say, as she faced away from Ji, "I've had another dream…" and in her 1st reality, she heard Ji give way to a long moan.

**********************************

Ji's felt it when he saw her eyes focus on somewhere else. He drew back in defense.

"I'm getting more… wait," she said desperately. "Wait!" more to the vision than to him.

Ji knew she was reaching… the ability new to her. She focused and reached out her hand as if to command it to her.

Her eyes grew pointedly on a distant object or person, no longer with him exactly. 'could you grow even further from me'? Ji said within himself, and he grew frustrated and weak. He wasn't sleeping well.

"…they may be pirates, or slave trade directors…," she questioned, her face drawn in perplexity, shaking her head slightly.

Then her eyes grew wide and she drew a breath in sharply.

With the revelation she received, she jerked her eyes to the screen, landing clearly on him in a panic. She paused, gathering herself, taking time to swallow. "I'm so sorry…" she pushed, "I know you've been through so much…"

Ji felt it coming from the back of his mind.

She gradually processed what she knew and withdrew behind walls that were ment to protect him, but left him weaker.

Then he could see in her detachment what she was beginning to plan. She was beginning to sort it all out, to put together a plan of action

Ji knew how this would go. She was going to handle it herself. And that was the last thing he could take right now.

"Lorah," He warned in a lower rougher voice than he had wanted to admit, "Lorah, don't do that. Don't do that!"

He saw Lore swallow and tilt her head, as if to make an accessment of him, her chin rising a fraction.

"I can't head out on some sort of " he stumbled

"rescue mission right now!" He heard himself being harsh and almost threatening – which, he knew, would be a huge mistake. She never Ever responded well to orders.

She looked down, to hide her face from him and it sent him into near panic. He was losing.

He took a breath to calm himself, to slow the pace of his heart, and to search for the right tone and words to explain, to win her back…

"Ji, I understand…" she began and his ears began to burn.

He interrupted her urgently but kindly, "Lorah," he spread his hands out in front of him, "I think I know what you have in mind to do,"

She looked up and honestly stopped to listen. He gathered up hope and continued,

"If you want to go after Jen and after Don" (Don't say kids, she'll take off - he thought) "you will have a much better chance at success if you wait for me."

'Me' could not have been more clear. 'Me' ment, I need to watch out for you – too keep anything from happening to you: to control what happens as much as possible.

To his amazement, he saw her nod and then bow her head in agreement.

"I'll let the guys know what you come up with," he knew it was a mistake as soon as he heard himself say it but he finished, not wanting to concede any ground, "and we can meet at…" He glanced at the chart quickly, looking for a rondavou. Nine Point station? Wakemen? Contrallia?

"Wakemen…" He said outloud.

But Wakemen wasn't half way. They would arrive before she would. He felt as if he had just lost the argument with that one.

And Nick, the captain, and his crew hadn't seen the visions she had as being ones with merit. They hadn't seen but one, the only one they knew about, come to fruitation.

He tried again, "Lore, this may not have happened yet. We may yet still have time to get to get there, to prepare and restock our ammunican cage, to set the cargo free."

Lorah shut her eyes, wincing, rubbing her forehead. She'd lay down for a few hours now. She had explained to him that the intensity of the visions gave her a headache for awhile.

"We really have to…" Ji continued, with, what he thought, a great logical argument.

"Ji,"she spoke over him, "You will be…"

They both stopped and looked at each other, coming to a compromise.

Then she repeated what Ji had first started out with,

"Your right, Ji, we've got to meet up somewhere…"

_**Chapter 5**_

Chakotay's stride was brisk headed to the hanger bay. He absently minded taped the display register against his thumb. Away mission briefings were one of his more pleasant task aboard Voyager, especially if he was the one leading the mission. He strode down the corridor to the turbo lift, meeting Ensign Malone and Stewart. They both straightened a little and knodded at the Commander.

"You guys updated with her shots?" Chakotay grinned at the two young ensigns. Looks of confusion shadowed there faces.

Malone, the younger of the two spoke slowly, shaking her head, "Sir?"

"It's a pretty green planet we'll be visiting, sure to be a lot of bugs." Came a voice from the behind them.

Tom stepped forward a bit, also jointing the team. Chakotay chuckled to himself.

"A long time ago," Chakotay explained, "They use to put liquid antidotes into cylinder tubes with tubes and long needles with a hollowed center."

The turbo door opened with a swish and they all stepped inside and turned around.

"Deck 11?????" Tom commanded.

"Then they stuck the needle into the arms or legs…"

Chakotay gestured at his own arm, pushing his thumb down.

Ensign Malone wrinkled up her nose and looked over at Stewart. "Not for me."

Chakotay smiled.

After leaving the ship, Paris and Chakotay busied themselves for last minute preparations. It hadn't been necessary to dress in civilian clothes, only the everyday uniforms where going to be excepted, but the formal customs needed a second look. There was a banquet to be given, introducing them to the varies governmental leaders, possibly even meeting different district Queens… what was their terminology again???

"So, the Queen requires that we attend her court between the noon day meal and the evening one?"

"Yeah, that's what it looks like. Any new business is handled during that time." Chakotay's made his screen scroll down for more information.

"Some officals will be on the landing pad to escort us to the proper chambers. The Offset, as they call them, have even offered the course to the landing area.'

Paris grimaced. He didn't feel all that comfortable with Nobility, and actually, now that he thought about it, had never meet one… so to speak.

"I can see your hesitatation, Tom, but the Captain wouldn't have sent you on this mission is she thought you weren't a good representative."

Chakotay gazed through the clouds, looking for green.

"Besides, you need a little polishing…" and he chuckled.

Chakotay was a bit surprised at how he looked forward to meeting these new peoples. The planet promised to be, from a far, something like home. It had a lot of possibilities. This was just up his alley, so to speak. He grunted. The local slang and ways of speech really was rubbing off on him.

"What?" Tom looked over at him. He didn't look away, so Chakotay explained.

"All the studying on this culture has stuck to me." He looked back down at a portrait of the Northern Queen.

"I don't know," Tom shrugged, "I think with so many women in charge, I'm going to feel outnumbered."

Chakotay heard a groan from the back. It was likely Malone airing her disapproval for what he knew Tom had ment no disrespect.

"I'm sure they're friendly Tom." Chakotay smiled. "It is really going to be something, to see a predominately female social structure."

"Where was this society 10 years ago…" Tom murmered?"

"Trouble at home?" Chakotay's eyebrow shot up?

Tom was digging himself into a deep, deep hole.

With thoughts of B'Lanna in hishead, what sort of reaction she would have at what he just had said, his heart raced.

Tom snapped his head up. "Why do I smell a set up?"

The ensigns in the back snickered to themselves.

"Hey, B'Elanna is more…" The laughter from the back grew louder.

"Okay, okay. Very funny. But I fear my wife way more than a whole planet full of …" Tom focused out the front window, and smoothly transitioned into, "…oh, look, ships approachingthankgoodness."

Chakotay laughed out loud, almost feeling the pain he was putting him through.

There were two and they carried one personal each. They were tubular in shape with, it looked like, four fins on the side and some serious fire power in the front, almost making it look out of balance.

"Escort to Voyager Shuttle."

"Voyager here…" Chakotay replied a male voice.

"We have been advised of your arrival and ask that you follow us to your designated landing port."

The two shot past the shuttle and arched down in the air to come along side the shuttle.

"Understood. Following you in." Chakotay said, increasing speed to keep up with the stream lined bullets, "Shuttle out."

Tom concentrated on the direction the escorts as they zipped through the clouds, setting different controls to correct course.

"I would love to get in the cockpit of one of those machines! Man, they're fast." Tom said with admiration.

"Just don't loose them,"Chakotay spoke faster, reflecting his work to do the same.

The two men heard a gasp from the back. They looked around, and then the site out the view window gave them pause.

"How beautiful."

***********************************

Tom had seen bigger more impressive statues, but he could appreciate the multiple statues as being set up as a welcome or a warning to outsiders.

"Wow," came a comment from his left. Oh, this was so Chakotay.

The two from the back huddled as far as was comfortable for the senior staff so as to see as far as they could.

"I count five…" The first time Stewart had spoken. His red hair moved as he ran his hand through it, running over the possibilities for such art.

"Yeah." Malone added and pointed, "… and look at the children on top, waving at us…"

Chakotay smiled. He got great satisfaction out of seeing his crew's pleasure of positive exploration.

The 'bullet' ships slowed their speed considerably and Tom followed suit. They curved between the third and fourth Statue and followed a very wide, long stone pathway which disappeared into the distance; into the forest.

On it, in organized lines and pathways were smaller stones, some even different hues of blues and greys. There were groups of people on some, groups of animals on others and vehicles with either or both on another.

The forest or jungle on either side grew up, but didn't impede the population from disappearing underneath it's cover.

So much to see.

Chakotay tried to take it all in and not crash into the 'bullet' slowing down and, he realized at Tom's direction, decending.

Into view grew a large and greatly open area, a great oval shaped arena of sorts, wider than the path to it, with high and massive stone buildings on the left and the right instead of the massive trees. The Delta Flyer began to follow the directions of a landing crew on the ground as the stream line escorts slowly rose out of the way, splitting and disappearing from view.

Multitudes of people going wherever duty or pleasure called them continued on there task, although a there were groups here and there stopped to gaze and study the new ship, one of strange markings and design.

Chakotay shut down his controls and Tom joined him with the younger crewmen in back.

"This seems promising." Malone said brightly, "I guess no one noticed the trees here…" She said with her eyes raised, "I can not wait to get out there and explore."

"You'll have your chance, mostly likely. This race – or rather the races who live here – are a lot like us in their exploration and curiosity." Chakotay said, reaching for his weapon although, with all the reading he had done on this place, it seemed almost embarrassing.

The culture here upheld the rules and regulations, as were relayed to them in there first data streams. Everything was prepared ahead of time with data streams, customs, and appropriate dress and could be as detailed as to what type of gravity was needed and even the chemical makeup the air needed to be. To not try to cover "all the bases" was to risk another embarrassing incident – not unlike the one where a certain Grand Tribain something-or-other was beamed aboard, but was unable to procede to the conference room because her dress was too large, or rather, too wide to go down the corridor. It had taken some quick thinking on the part of the Captain of the ship to save the entire conference.

That old story was at least a hundred years old, and was still in the back of everyones' mind when First Contact was being planned and plotted.

Chakotay brushed his screen to turn it off and tucked it away in a waist pocket, concealing his person 'cheat sheet'. He anticipated spending two or three nights on planet. Tom might head back tomorrow, but he and the two ensigns would be staying longer.

Chakotay headed out the shuttle first, followed by Tom, busy tapping some sort of data into his own pad and the ensigns. The hatch automatically closing behind them, Chakotay felt a warm sun, almost hot, instantly begin heating the black on his uniform. It felt great. He turned his face towards their sun and breathed in the air.

It was somewhat salty with a mixture of… huh, moss, maybe….

The general noise around his group of four buzzed behind him as he breathed again, looking around to see if there were any welcoming committee, persons of rank, watching them, coming toward them,… anything.

No one was in sight but Chakotay didn't become alarmed. He smiled and took in the flock of birds that flew over head, their white, fat body struggling to keep airborne. That seemed funny to him and chuckled to himself. They seemed too comical to be taken seriously and must find themselves on a diner table more often than flying through the air.

His gaze drifted down the massive trunks of trees that Ensign Malone was, even now, gazing up at, a few steps away from the group. She had her hands on her hips with her back to them and the sun. Chakotay looked up in the direction that she was looking at and his eyes widened a bit.

New lands could be so extraordinary.

There, high in the tree was almost another layer of living – within the trees. Such huge trees, dwarfing the temple like structures. But then again, the ancient stone buildings were beautiful and massive themselves. There must be some deep history to this race.

Chakotay studied the columns, the stone steps. He liked it here. His eyes drifted over the people. There was traffic in the sky out over the ocean but none over the stone way. There were children running around, mother's calling after them. There were workers in the trees, working among the limbs, climbing quite expertly from limb to trunk to limb. Walkways to one home to live under and among the trees must require some sort of trimming and pruning limbs. If there was to be somewhere that he would choose to be home, this might…

_**Chapter 6**_

That was when he saw her the first time. It might have been the way her white cloak drifted behind her, swirled around her as she walked and she drew it close about her. Her perfume breezed lightly in his direction, a fragrance that had not been there before she had entered into his view. He would ponder that later and realize that it wasn't exactly a fragrance, but something like a fragrance in the way it introduced itself. "It" was more like a personal presence of type.

He hadn't seen anyone the way he saw her. She had a glow about her entire body, faint but recognizable to him. It held him at first. It was unsettling, startling him, making

him reflex back. His pulse sped up and he found himself straining to follow her as she began to disappear into the crowd.

And then her pace slowed, not to part through the crowd, but as if she had heard someone calling her name. She froze, and even cocked her head slightly, as if trying to place a sound. Chakotay heard an ensign addressing him, but didn't want to look away. The women's movements fasinated him. She turned her face more in his direction but her hood concealed her most of her hair, her eyes. The wind blew her bangs underneath the hood of her cloak – brown and gold, red – long?

"Commander…" the ensign glazed up at him, "I think our greeting party is coming our way."

Chakotay worked to surpress his irriatation, accessing the tactful responces and the polite greetings, and he tore his eyes away from her. His last observation was to spy her face. He had to concentrate to remember what was expected for this First Contact.

As the group approached him, 10 to 15 people, women and men, it was as if the light of the sun went back to normal and the voices and commotion around him came back to his ears. He saw the diplomat reaching out a hand in old earth fashion, which fit seemed to fit these people somehow. He heard himself greet the women and men that had come to show him into the greeting hall, to their apartment, and then later that evening, as it turned out, to the court of the Queen.

He felt a breeze come across him from her direction, and he could tell she was still there. Not only there, but he felt as if he were being examined.

He bent his head to listen closer to the dignitary, who had grasp English somewhat, but who slurred his "sh"s,

He knodded at the agreement and then began to blend into the dignitaries…

…and despite himself, he glanced in her direction again, and he caught her eyes. Faintly he heard…

"_You will enjoy the court this evening. We have many, ah,"_ the Primer searched for a word, and when Tom noticed the man stop, he looked back at the Commander. With Chakotay distracted, jumped to fill in…

Chakotay actually stopped.

He felt himself leaving the party, stepping away and clear of them. He could see her better now and as he looked into her face, and, he stopped breathing. She was closer and he wanted to move in her direction. The breeze moved her bangs into her eyes. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide with disbelief. Disbelief in what, he didn't know. He realized his own stiff stance must seem the same way. Even at this distance, he could see that she was as bewildered as he felt.

"Commander Chakotay, is there anything wrong?" the Primer asked.

"Ah, No, - no" He said jumping a little, "I was just taken by the view of your beautiful planet." Wow, that was good. "It's not like anything I've ever seen."

Tom had followed Chakotay's stare, and said under his breath, "yeah, planet…" but Chakotay didn't hear him.

And the group disappeared into the stone building.

_**Chapter 7**_

'_Breath. Breath. Breath' as air reentered his lungs and with it, knowledge of everything that was in turmoil's, Don went from grimace to muffled scream._

_Then blackness._

Jen pleaded with the village leadership, following behind them through the passage ways and doorways. She ducked a low hanging beam, hanging from the ceiling like a broken bone protruding from an injured man.

"There isn't enough supplies to handle all the wounded, the raiders are advancing everyday, and the ammuntion is…"

"We are unable to load before the mechanics can repair the air ships, Jen." Valwhen said angrily and he stopped suddenly, as the others continued walking away."Your right! There are more wounded than can be managed with. How do you suggest I handle that? Who do you suggest I leave behind for the raiders?__Which ones do you want me to choose to leave behind so they can go through them and sell on the slave market? WHAT do you expect from me?" He shouted into her face. She stepped back to breath. She felt herself weakening and trembling.

For a minute, they stood there glaring at each other.

"If you have any solutions, please, let me know." He said softer, with a manner of defeat.

He turned and walked away.

Jen sputtered, searching for an answer, but found him gone, turning a corner and disappearing.

At first she only heard viper fire in the distance, and knew that Valwhen was right. The raiders where drawing closer, sometimes, even over coming the civilians.

Running across the dirt road, littered with personal belonging and abandoned crates and carts, Jen caught sight of Valwhen's company, and of Valwhen himself. He was barking orders to soldiers left and right, playing a sort of battlefield triage. She broke into a run to catch up, missing the divots in the road from the small weapons fire, the kind of small weapons that had herded the people of the villages before this one into the streets in order to sift through, to find the viable and the worthless. "Back up the second line and give us 5 more minutes to get the able out of here."Valwhen barked out.

The young women snapped a salute and ran off toward the bunker

Jen deliberately stepped in front of him causing him run into her.

"Give me a couple of soldiers to help me get back to the Frazer settlement. It wasn't hit by the raiders all that hard."

"No."

"Give me a weapon then, and I'll go myself. You know you need help from off world for anyone to survive."

"We have been in worse situations than this…" He lied and shoved her aside. "The answer is No. End of Discussion." Jen heard him say as he marched off in the direction of a makeshift command post.

Jen stood there awhile dejected. She looked around for an answer to jump out at her, but found nothing. No hints, no ideas, no options.

She opted to search the rubble instead of retreat with the company. Looking for anything to swing, to stab with, some sort of weapon and found a broken pot with a sharp, jagged edge.

Suddenly she froze. She instinctively knew that when the air sounded as if it were ripping, that an incoming canon volley was about to hit. Unfortuately, she found herself out in the middle of the street.

She did the only thing she could think of; she crouched down and wrapped her arms around her head.

The air split above her. Her hair followed the direction of the volley as it sped over her and hit some yards away.

The noise was loud, and then nothing. The explosion that she more felt on her back than saw blew her in the opposite direction, actually throwing her into an open window, only catching her foot. It was all so fast.

She lay there in the dark with only red embers drifting out side to show the depth of room. She lay there, still. The embers slowly drifted down and she wondered if any would drift onto her hair, onto her face. She wondered if she would smolder and catch fire. Paralyzed with shock she heard buzzing in her ears. She tried to stir, feeling stiff, trying everything out and found herself amazed that nothing hurt. Maybe she was in shock? She looked up at her foot hanging propped up on the window sill: it was actually still attached. It was not twisted or injured in any way, and she marveled at that.

The elders… the soldiers, Valwhen!!!

She struggled to sit up, not because of injury, but because the floor of the business was littered with what she believed to be glass. She lightly touched around for a piece of wood to put over top of the glass when she felt the air being sucked away from her.

She wrapped her arms around her head again and tucked her legs up to her stomach.

Boom! and then, further away, another secondary explosion. The transports?! If the ships had just been blown up, she was grounded and the raiders were coming. There may be one or two transports left at the secondary drop off she remembered.

She moved to her knees, cutting her left hand a little. She felt the glass in it and wincing, she carefully pulled it out. One hand up on the window sill and then the next to peer out.

The smoke and embers moved down the street in the direction of the raiders. The Frazer settlement was out of the question now.

Leaning in the doorway, she strained to see if Valwhen was alive or any if any of his group made it. She wiped her eyes and cupped her hands to shoat out, but caught herself, not knowing how close the danger was. She resisted the screaming voice inside her telling her to run and trotted over to the headquarters instead.

With in the compound, she saw bodies on the ground. She heard moaning and crying. Looking around, she saw what was left of the company of elders and military equipment, poping and sizzling. She stood there awhile, feeling sick. She tried to swallow but found herself doubled over vomiting instead. The smell of burning hair and flesh kept her from entering. Her eyes stung and watered from the smoke and from crying. She sucked in air as she sobbed and coughed, gasping for air. She felt lightheaded and disconnected. She turned to leave, hearing a sob behind her but she was unable to enter. A gasp, another sob, a rattle and then silence. Only the moving smoke over the ruined command area made the picture of war a real happening for her. She turned and coughed violently. She stumbled out of the area and into the field behind her. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the building, leading her toward an overhang. She resisted little, not really understanding what was happening. When the person looked back over their shoulder as they drug her along, she realized she was staring into the face a female raider. Her piercing eyes commanding her to obey without exception.__

Her ears where pointing up and out adding to the sharp angles of a weathered face. The embers blowing in the wind, landed on her braided head, causing her to grimace and her eyes to narrow. Jen jerked away and got out of her grasp, but the women grunted and lunged for Jens arm. Jen turned to run, but the women grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. Jen felt painful point pressed into her upper back and the women began to speak in a tongue that Jen did not know. Without a doubt, Jen knew if she gave her anymore trouble, she would be dead at the raiders hands.

The speech was full of spits and short hisses and clicks from the throat. Jen's felt her face being ground into the gravel from the pressure of the bottom of the raiders's boot. Jen began to suck dirt and dust up her nose and mouth. She let out a cry when the raider twisted her boot on her temple and she felt warm liquid run down into her shut eyes.

"Okay, okay. Stop" Jen cried out. The twisting on her face stopped but the boot remained. Jen closed and gritted her teeth, keeping in the screams she felt in her head.

'I'm captured! Oh no, I've been captured!' Jen ran the saying through her head. 'One thing at a time. One thing at…'

Jen heard shouting somewhere off to her left, not raider, and weapons fire. The Raider above her suddenly backed up, away from her, relieving the pressure on her head. Jen moved quickly away from her, looked up at her, a watched her. The raider was still talking to her, but only looking at her occasionally. Something else held her attention, and when weapons fire sounded again, she dove to the ground, popping up a head, still holding a gun on Jen.

Jen knew the distraction could be used as a means of escape and she might never have that chance again. She gathered up what she felt in the palm of her hands, glass and gravel, and clinched in within her fist. She turned her fear off; gave it no voice and tried to see through the haze of panic. She focused on logic and took in the raider.

She was quiet now. She had the gun trained on her but she was looking out over the rise on the ground. More weapons fire. The raider's eyes squinted to see what was going on, but shook her head from side to side.

Jen took a deep breath and yelled,

"Hey!"

The raider snapped around and Jen threw her fist into her face, letting the handfuls of gravel and glass fly.

She tried to ducked in defense but caught the debris in her face and eyes, firing off a round from her gun. It sliced through Jen's arm and she screamed at the sensation of having what felt like controlled fire burn through her flesh. Jen opened her eyes to see where her capture was, and saw her struggling, holding the gun and wiping violently with her arm.

Jen reached for the gun and suddenly found herself in a tug of war with the blinded women. Jen threw her body over the raider and bit her the first place that her mouth came in contact with. The raider screamed and thrashed around even violently jerking away from Jen, but lost hold of the gun. Jen grabbed it, first fumbling and then gripping the barrel, leveled it at the raider and clinched her hand. A round of fire shot out and tore a hole in the side of her shoulder. Jen squeezed the handle again and the round went wild.

The raider rolled away from Jen trying to get away from her, and for a moment, Jen struggled with what to do next. At the sound of weapons fire, Jen crawled towards the Raider and hit her over the head. When she saw her not moving, she searched her person and found a communication device, she clipped it to her belt, a knife, different tokens and a long strip of hair with what looked to beads, or other type of token. Jen frowned. It looked fimilar some how. She pocketed it and rolled away, circumventing the fighting zone, but running straight into the force of Raiders. They looked up at her and their weapons followed. One of the larger males laughed out loud, and to her surprise said,

"Look boys, we didn't wipe 'em all out after all…"

Jen raised her gun, aiming at the lead male, which made him laugh even harder.

_**Chapter 8**_

Wolf sighed and resisted the urge to drop his arms. His muscles were burning in his arms and his hair was in his face, which made him hot, which put him in a bad mood. He had skipped breakfast and lunch was quickly fleeting by… not that he was going to complain.

Muffled words from above; Shado Vao

Or Shad, too patient for Wolf's taste, continued to drone on and on about some sort of connection needing to be replaced or updated or revamped, or painted, or insultated. Wolf figured he was busy rewiring the entire ship and had the mind to walk away, leaving Shad literally hanging.

"You gonna wrap it up there, pal?"

Another grunt, another dropped washer, and Shad replied, "Well, I might as well. We won't be going much further without a few parts."

Wolf figured.

"Ready to get out?"

"Yes, thank you." Shad. He hung for awhile before dropping lightly to his feet. He took a rag hanging near by and wiped his hands, one finger at a time.

"I will inform the Captain." Shad said and furrowed his heavy brow. Without the human hair type eyebrow, it was only muscles that moved. His horns moved independently, not matching the natural sway as long human hair did. He walked straight and upright – in contrast to Wolf, who had a slight hunched over type stalking stride. It wasn't animal or creature like though. Wolf more or less walked like a depressed teenager, with lots lots of wild, long, thick, thick hair, with longer strans passing even his waist.

"I'll go looking for a 'junk yard' again."

Shad slowed and turned half way and smirked, "That's the very reason you're having the trouble your having now. You keep buying junk and adding it to a ship that's mostly new. The strain on the old pieces your buying are too much and you end up…'

Wolf audiably growled, "We haven't got enough fuel to get anywhere remotely decent to buy the parts you want to put on this ship, Shad!"

Shad stopped. "We did have time about 2 days ago, but we spent the time looking for your sorry, drunk hide…"

Wolf shouted over his friend, "What I do with my OWN time is my Own business! You'd better But out of…'

"HEY!" came the deep commanding voice from behind Wolf. The Captain – Nick as most of the crew called him, "will you two knock it off." And he was in Wolf's face. That's how it worked with Wolf, and Wolf could respect that. "You've both been after each other since we were hit by the Raase and I am getting tired of it." Nick turned to zero in on Shad. Shad never did like the small black eyes that seemed to be unreadable.

"Shad, we have most of the parts that you need in the back, cargo hold 43 and 54. Why don't you take this opportunity to cool down and go look for them AFTER you both catch rations!!"

Wolf's stomach growled, which Nick took to be a challenge, but Wolf held up his hands and the flash of an answer to his threatened leadership disappeared and his body stance relaxed.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Wolf said, his way of apologizing

Shad took a step to the side and pressed his palms together.

"My apologies to you, Captain," looking past Nick, "and to you, my friend. I have to admit, I have not felt well since we lost Mike."

And with that Shad said it all. He turned and strode towards the mess hall, horns hanging straight down, in sadness and more blue in color, the spots showing up more defined.

Nick and Wolf looked after him and then at each other. Nick was the one to drop his head and turned his eyes away. Wolf grabbed up a few of the tools laying around and the rag and polished one absently mindedly. He did another one before he glanced over his shoulder to see that Nick had left. Wolf swung his head around. His white tunic was wet with sweat and now that he was out from under the duct way, where most of the heat was directed throughout the ship, he was feeling cold and more comfortable. He returned the last tool to it's proper holding and turned to leave.

There was silence everywhere but as Wolf walked by Ji's quarters, he heard what he thought was laughing, or hiccups? Weird. He paused and waited, feeling a bit anxious about standing there, eaves dropping. He shifted in the silence, knowing that this wasn't right – well, he was curious and Ji might be in some sort of trouble.

-'Oh come on, what sort of trouble could he get into in his own quarters' Wolf thought to himself. He snorted and moved away from the door, and was thankful he was down the hall a ways because Ji's door slid opened and he slowly walked out. Out of Ji's peripheral vision, he noticed Wolf and paused. He seemed bothered, and if Wolf had been more observant, he'd seen the red rim eyes Ji had and his face was red.

Wolf grunted, his usual knowledgement to anyone he considered a friend, and waited to see Ji respond with his usual laugh, because, as Ji had said before, he sounded somewhat like something called a pig…

Ji only turned and hobbled away, rubbing his forehead and mumbling something about a headache.

Wolf did stop and cock his head. He raised his head and sniffed in Ji's direction, out of instinct, and smelled salt, water, mucus – things human's thought distasteful. Wolf thought and decided Ji had been mourning Mike's death. The laughter he had heard had actually been sobs and he felt a little disappointed in Ji. It was a sign of weakness.

No, Wolf shook his head, he wouldn't hold it against him. Ji had been in privacy and he was only human.

He followed the captains' orders and turned down the corridor, heading in the direction of the storage area.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Within an hour, Wolf had found most of the items that they needed to get the ship going and a few others that might be able to be shaped into replacement parts somehow. That would take Ji's expertise. Wolf strolled, in a somewhat smug manner, towards Nick's office.

Nick was sitting at his station, working at his desk when Wolf walked in…

Out of respect, Wolf waited until Nick looked up and acknowledged him.

"Yeah, Wolf," then looking up, "what 'da ya got."

Wolf set a couple of items down and Nick grinned.

"Huh," Nike remarked, picking up the object in the middle, "that's just the sort of thing I'm looking for. You find 'em where?"

"Just where you'd say they'd be, but they were deep in the back."  
Nick leaned back, reaching over to his left to the wall and pressing a button.

"This is Nick, we got a priority job, report to the main junction – this means everybody." The announcement went out and Nick turned back to Wolf.

"…and you, get a lift so we have your available to plot course and make a meal for these guys, something they can eat on the job."

Wolf tried to hide his sneer. He didn't particularly like to cook, but, he did appreciate the solitude of the galley.

"Your welcome." Nick sneered back, knowing Wolf'not to imitate, but to show his like preference.

_**Chapter 8**_

It was a day to clean.

Wiping down countertops, rearranging, moving, scrubbing, watering the numerous vegetation, washing clothes, …. Work to clear and organized the mind. Work to vent frustration. Physical labor to tackle intangible problems.

When she was almost done, she looked up.

She had noticed the flashing blue light on her holographic , or holo, before, but instead of answering it, pressed her lips together and went to the kitchen instead. Her bare feet slipped on the wet floor. As she tried to catch her balance, she dropped the cleaner, slamming her foot into a kitchen chair. That made her tear up and she absentmindedly wiped her eyes - which had polishing cream on them.

She found her way parcaressly to the spiket, willing herself to blink. She first washed her hands with water, grappled around for the soap, eyes squeezed tightly shut. She washed her hands free of the cream. She ran cool water into her cupped hands and flushed out the pain.

Time for a break. Then she'd answer the call she most certainly felt was going to be bad news.__

"I'll be back in a few hours, G8"

The droid smoothly turned at the waist to face her.

"Would you like me to respond to the council on your behalf?" a soft accented male voice asked.

"No, but thanks" Lorah said stopping and turning to her old friend, "I should be answering them now, but I really need to get my act together first." Lorah paused, putting her hands on her hips, with a sigh she admitted, "I do feel a little guilty taking my good sweet time getting back to them." She thought about it and changed her direction,

"On second thought, I think I'll jump into the shower, get ready early for court and head over to the council in person. The ride there will do me some good…"

"Yes, the fresh air will be very helpful for you. You always do better after a fresh stint out under the trees."

Lorah smiled a little. She had moved beyond second guessing G8's sincerity a long time ago. The program coming from the a.l.f. always made G8 seem interested and it was hard to not think of him as a personal friend. She made sure to clearify her request as orders so that the line between man and machine was always drawn.

She spun on her heel and headed back through the loft.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The thick woods and access to the main through ways took time to get to but Lorah paced herself in her attempts to get to the council in half an hour. The forest runner, The Fur for short, glided over enormous roots and dipped under low branches using the equailizers built aboard. With two seats and riding low, Ji and herself had gone on many camping trips into the deepest parts of the rarely visited areas. It could be fast when called on to be so, but Lorah took in the beauty and kept it in low gear.

With the blue bells beginning to bloom, her optimisim grew. They had different stages of growth, turning three shades of blue and red.

She was able to avoid the animals that darted across her path, setting her sensitivities to their presence and knowing there haunts.

The air was cool and almost cold and her white cloak didn't quite keep her warm enough. It was too light for the forest but almost perfect for court. She was careful to tuck it around her tunic and flairing trousers in an effort to keep them as clean and as wrinkle free as possible. The forest grew lighter and the hum of general commerce grew louder. Glancing up and slowing the pace of the Fur, Lorah smiled. The families among the tree tops worked together, some arguing, some gardening among the vine nets. There with them swung other life forms. One older man was grappling with a more native, hairy tree dweller on just what, Lorah couldn't tell. Lorah felt her heart lift. Maybe she'd take the time and stay with her half sister.

Always asking Lorah to stay close in the palace, always wanting to converse - longing for direct family contact, was Aashalynn's favorite past time.

But Asshalynn was always a little wary of Ji, and actually, association with Ji and his outfit would have been – actually, would be detrimental to everyones personal agenda(s).

The queen did secretly fund Ji's work from her own purse but publically distanced herself and therefore her kingdom from his operations was a necessity - for now, Aash had more than once argued. Being Queen, Aash would tell Lorah in private, was difficult and sometimes emotional work, requiring personal sacrifice.

Lorah understood her desire to always be fair, always be insightful, always be wise, but would try to tell her that it was not possible. The argument would esculate. Lorah would argue to stand and be an example against the slavery that so plagued the nearby system, and threatened the outer colonies all the time. The royal family itself had felt the sting of a master's punishment. Lorah was that member.

And then Lorah would then see the discouragement in Aash's face and eyes and then regret her flippant attitude to the heavy duties of Aashalynns' position.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Lorah looked around after powering down the Fur and securing it's position beside and under other people's land hovers and other machinery. She didn't want any children wandering over and into her blue chariot and getting injured. She adjusted her robe and trousers as she looked around. She took in the excitement of some groups of people and looked in the direction of there interest.

A small ship, space fareing it looked, was decending into the port off to the side, being lead in by the port guard. The ship landed and not long after, four people emerged, walking slowly down the short ramp from inside the shuttle. The four off worlders grabbed her attention and held her. Lorah was stumped. She had never seen the markings on the ship before. She strove to place their origins, scowling in concentration and stepped into the openness of the landing area. She allowing her eyes to adjust to the sunlight still watching them.

They looked all around, especially up at the layers above them. They looked impressed and Lorah felt herself smile. It was impressive.

She grabbed the edges of her her cloak and aired them out, letting the mild breeze to separate folds.

She still couldn't place them and wondered what they were here for. She shook her head and tucked most of her hair into her cloak, blowing the loose strands away from her eyes. She pulled the hood up over her head and began to walk toward the temple.

…But it wasn't uncommon to see off worlders come to the palace, especially dignitaries and officials of the colonies, looking for support from their Queen and her government. They were her people, afterall. Tributes were paid into the system in place in order to provide funds for the military and other things. Largely, however, the colonies liked self rule.

Lorah took up strides heading towards the stairs that would climb and take her into the stone hallways. Her white cloak flowed behind her, exposing her more formal attire underneath. Not wanting to draw attention to her markings of royal lineage, she drew her cloak to herself.

After getting to the top of the stairs, Lorah remembered, she would need to board a lift and find her way to the council's office and chambers.

She looked up toward the temple, squinting, but noticing that she didn't have to.

Odd. She looked up into the sky for sudden cloud cover, realizing on some level, that the her surroundings had taken on a shade of some sort.

She shook off the oddity walking slower.

She was going to have to wing it. Lorah had only been in that particular wing of the temple only twice before, and all of the hallways, she thought, looked a lot alike. Ji would have argued that point, but Lorah was going to…

She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling funny. A strange sensation that she had never had felt before came over her, from the direction of the open court area.

It was as if someone where standing beside her, so close that she could feel breath on her face. It was as if she were in a dark room and she was standing next to an object, a wall, her heart beating fast and movements and wind bouncing off of it and back on to her.

Lorah looked around for a physical presence to match her feeling. Her perception of her surroundings seem to change slightly, become hazy and she felt almost none of the usual readings from the people around her. The ability seemed dull and she felt a twinge of fear rise into her mind. Was she sick?

But then she realized that a growing awareness, the same sensation that struck her at first, drew her to look across the court yard. The new ship was still there, her eyes told her dimly, and the people around it moved away about their task. The small crew who had come from within the shutter where no longer there.

She turned herself, lifting her hand slowly and pulled her hood out of the line of view. Her long hair being pulled out from underneath her hood.

The Court Robes of the Queens welcoming crew served as a back drop to who stood in front of it. A man with a casual black jumpsuit stood listening intently to the older advisor Lorah recognized at a personal advisor to the Queen. With the man stood two other men and a woman, all in similar dress.

Lorah continued walking in the direction of the temple, with the newcomers already beginning to climb the stairs. She focused intensely on the man, his back to her as he began following the greeters, and when he stopped suddenly and turned to meet her eyes, she skidded to a stop, her mouth dropped open, unable to discern her sudden rush of feelings.

She trembled and ignored the strands of bangs that fell in front of her eyes. It was as if time froze and all her surrounds dimmed. His eyes were dark, matching his complextion and short hair. He stepped in her direction, and Lorah found herself starting to move towards him as well.

The Primer to his left stopped and looked back and she heard,

"Commander Chakotay, is there anything wrong?" the Primer asked.

"Ah, No, - no" he jumped, startled by the interruption. Of the lock of vision, "I was just taken by the view of your beautiful planet. It's not like anything I've ever seen."

Lorah's eyes followed him up and watched them all disappear into the dark stone building.

She just stood there. The surroundings began to come back to her. The people and their conversations began to come into her reality. She began feeling the wind again, moving her cloak, moving her hair. She smelled the sea again and heard the sea birds and she shook her head.

With the tunnel vision gone and the light of the sun return to normal, she looked around for confirmation on the extraordinary happening… and was taken back when she saw that no one else seemed the slightest bit alarmed, or where they suppose to be confused, or maybe fearful?

Lorah ran her hand through her bangs and back through her hair, looking down at her boots, seeing that they had returned to the ground, because she certainly felt out of body.

Looking back up into the shadows, she mumbled to no one imparticular "What just happened?"

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Jen shuffled forward due to her inability to walk any faster with a 11 inch chain between her feet. Besides that, the injured woman in front of her staggered every few steps, weaving to the right. Her peripheral vision, she saw a guard with three very long braids coming out of the very top of his head, eye the women up and down, motioning to another female guard. Talking in short qwips and snaps and gesturing in her direction, the two made no more comments but continued to herd the small rummaged group out through chard buildings.


End file.
